As the River Flows
by Obituary
Summary: NxOC - ...Listening to the water had always put me to peace. It was just such a constant sound, so natural and easy. Traveling to a new region was always an adventure, that's for sure. My Pokemon and I, well, we will be the very best. I guess it just depends on how the river flows...
1. Prologue

Listening to the water had always put me to peace. It was just such a constant sound, so natural and easy. Though of course, all peaceful things come to an end eventually. The end of the soothing silence came fairly shortly, as my brother came bustling into the room, shirtless like always. He had his hands balled into fists resting on his hips, as he stood across from me, grinning like a lunatic.

"So, I hear my baby sister is planning on traveling."

"To Unova, yes. I want to explore, and become the champion," I respond easily, looking up at the psychotic looking man in front of me.

He was the Gym Leader in Pastoria City, and he has always been known for his free spirit and fighting attitude. We weren't related by blood, I was adopted when I was only three years old, but he was my brother and nobody could tell me otherwise. Wake grins and crouches down, examining my face.

"What are your plans then?"

I shrug and push my dark teal hair away from my face. "To become the very best."

He grins and places a large hand on my shoulder.

"Show 'em what us Crashers are all about kid."

I planned on it.


	2. Chapter One

"Are you sure you have everything you need, River?" Wake asks as he sits on an armchair in my bedroom. He was fiddling around with a toy Pokeball, his eyes on me. I sigh for the eighteenth time and nod.

"Yes, I know I do. I'm taking our vacation to Hoenn as packing guidelines. Pack what you need to survive and be comfortable."

He seems to like that answer as he nods and tosses the Pokeball into the air, catching it as it fell. I watched him for a few moments, before walking over to a counter. Pulling off the sash with little notches for Pokeballs, I sigh.

"What's up?" Wake asks, tossing the toy Pokeball at my head, hitting me in the temple.

After grumbling some profanities, I toss the belt over to him. "The latch is broken; I can't use this to carry any Pokemon." He picks it up and inspects it, before placing it on the nightstand beside him.

"Well, give me a second. Just keep packing kid, you have a hell of a long journey," he says, walking out of my room. Watching him leave just made me realize that it would be a while before I got to see him again.

I sat on the edge of my bed and grabbed all my hair, bringing it to the side so I could braid it. My eyes focused on a large map of Unova spread out on the wall, and all the tacks in place of the cities and towns with gyms. My journey would begin in Nuvema Town, the town that the Pokemon Professor lived in. It seemed like a good place to start in.

Sinnoh has dealt with me for long enough, plus it would be good to get more experience. I wasn't taking any of my Pokemon with me though. I wanted to start out like a beginner. Of course I'm not a starting trainer; I've gone through six of the gyms here, before deciding to call it quits. An organization called Team Galactic caused some hell, putting my journey in my home region to rest.

Wake then decided to enter, as he tosses a sky blue belt in my direction, with a golden "W" for the belt buckle. I catch it and blink, looking at him.

"Isn't this the belt you wore when you first became the gym leader here?" I ask, clearly confused. He laughs and nods, sitting on the bed beside me.

"Yes it is. It's brought me a lot of luck in the past, so I want you to have it. Carry on my legend," he grins as I shove him playfully.

"My legend, you mean."

"Of course."

After laughing for a bit, we both grow silent. I loved my brother. He was in his late twenties though, and I had only just turned nineteen, but we were close. He clears his throat, and hands over a small dark blue box. I examine it for a moment, before warily taking it from him.

"What is this?" I inquire, looking at the small box. He smiles and leans back, looking at the roof.

"Open it and find out."

Staring at Wake curiously, I lift the box and remove a piece of cardboard sitting over top of whatever was inside. Sitting on some black velvet-like material was a Pokeball.

"Are you giving me a Pokemon?"

He simply grins.

"Oh god, Wake, you don't have too," I mutter, running my fingertip over the top of the ball. He laughs and places a hand on top of my head.

"Of course I do. I think you'll like this Pokemon, either way." He smirks. "I'm in contact with the Pokemon Professor in Unova. I asked her last week to try to find a partner for you, and I just got the Pokemon today."

With a leap onto Wake, I hug him close and laugh. He pats my back and shoves me off, grinning. "Enough with the lovin', open the Pokeball. I don't even know what she managed to get for you."

I nod with excitement, as I expand the Pokeball. My dark brown eyes travel over to him, before pressing the button on the Pokeball. After the flash of light disappeared, a Pokemon appeared on the ground, shaking its head.

The blue and black Pokemon looks up at my brother and I, taking in our shocked faces.

_'Who are these guys…'_

I jump as my eyes go wide, not understanding where the deep feminine voice came from. My brother seemed unfazed though, which confused me even more.

"It's a turtle! That's so awesome," Wake exclaims, clapping a hand on my back. I flinch in the faint pain, before looking at my brother.

"Did you hear that voice?"

He blinks and looks at me like I've lost my cookies, as he raises an eyebrow. "What voice?"

"I think I just heard that Pokemons thoughts," I whisper, my eyes on the turtle. It watches us curiously, as we converse.

"You're losing it, River."

I sigh and shake my head. "Maybe I was just hearing things. It's impossible to hear Pokemons thoughts, right?"

_'You can understand me?'_

I jump and pull my legs up off the floor and stare at the Pokemon. Wake leans away from me and just watches.

"I can understand this Pokemon Wake, what's going on?" I ask frantically. He looks to the Pokemon, and back to me, before laughing.

"I don't know. Are you sure you're listening to this Pokemons thoughts? Can you prove it, just to make sure you haven't cracked?"

Glaring, I look to the Pokemon.

"Uhh, think of something and I'll repeat it out loud. Nod if I got it right?" I ask, as Wake nods, agreeing to this plan.

_'Well, where am I for starters,'_ the Pokemon blinks slowly. I look at Wake and clear my throat.

"The Pokemon just asked where was it," I say slowly, causing the Pokemon to nod. Wake blinks and looks stunned, as he flicks his eyes between the turtle and myself.

"Holy shit, River, you can hear its thoughts. Can you do it with any of the Pokemon here?" He asks, growing excited.

Shaking my head I crawl down to the floor, looking at the dark colored turtle Pokemon.

"No, I've never had this happen before. Maybe it's exclusively Unova Pokemon. Or just this one, I don't know," I mutter, letting the Pokemon smell my hand to get my scent.

_'I'm Tirtouga. Water and rock is my specialty.'_

"She just said she was Tirtouga, and that she was a water and rock type Pokemon," I repeat so Wake can know. He nods and slides to the floor beside me. "My name is River, and this is my brother Wake."

Tirtouga looks between us and nods, kind of smiling.

_'You're my trainer,'_ the Pokemon states, looking at me. I smile and nod, enjoying the soft sound of the Pokemons voice.

"Yes, we're going to be partners from here on out. How does that sound?"

_'Perfect.'_

With a smile, I reach over and pick up the heavy Pokemon, setting it on my lap. It sighs and lies down, allowing me to run my hand over its shell, taking note in the shape of it. Wake pats the Pokemons head and rises to his feet.

"I'll be downstairs, you only have about half an hour left before the ship leaves." Wake says, smiling at me. I nod as he closes my door behind him.

_'Where are we going?'_

I blink, still not used to this. "Unova, the region where you are from." The turtle Pokemon nods and props itself up using its flippers.

_'The Professor there, Juniper, is nice.'_

I smile and nod, placing my hand on its back. "I'm glad, it would be bad if she was a mean old hag."

The Pokemon smiles and lets out a slight purring sound. _'I'm glad you're my trainer.'_

Needless to say, I was taken aback by that. We had only known each other for a few minutes, and it feels like the Pokemon and I have bonded already. I smile and nod.

"And I'm glad you're my partner, my friend."

After scurrying around the room for a bit, I hoist my bag over my shoulder, and clasp on the belt that Wake gave me, before looking at Tirtouga.

"Would you mind if I gave you a name?" I ask carefully. The Pokemon looks at me and tilts its head to the side.

_'I would like that, actually.'_

Thrilled by this, I examine the Tirtouga, trying to think of a fitting name. She seemed very regal, proper but stubborn at the same time.

"How does Delta sound to you?"

The Pokemon blinks in consideration, before nodding. _ 'That sounds like a good strong name. I like it.'_

With a smile, I pull out her Pokeball and hold it out.

"Well, Delta. Our journey is going to begin shortly, are you ready?"

The Pokemon lets out a strong stream of water, so strong it just mists away.

_'Of course.'_


	3. Chapter Two

The ship really wasn't that large. It would take two days to reach Unova, but I was lucky that one of the older townsfolk had the ship. Either way, he had to travel to Unova once a month to make deliveries and pick up different types of fruits and vegetables. So, it really worked out nicely.

"Well kid, you be safe alright," Wake said, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. With a small laugh I hug the large man back, nesting my chin on his shoulder.

"I will, don't worry. I'll contact you as soon as we reach Unova. Don't do anything stupid when I'm gone," I answer, pulling away from him. He grins and shrugs.

"No such promise shall be made," he chuckles and ruffles my hair, before looking at the older fellow who owned the ship. "Daniel, make sure she doesn't jump off or something."

The old man laughs heartily and walks over, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Ay, no worries Wake. I'll keep the pipsqueak safe for ya."

All three of us laugh. Daniel had been around for most of my childhood, and half the time I ended up referring to him as my grandfather. He was a kind man, with a heart of gold.

"Well, we better be off," Daniel says, shielding the blinding sun from his eyes. "I think we'll have perfect sailin' weather."

"Alright. Remember, stay in contact. Don't do anything overly reckless, have fun and be safe," Wake starts. "Become the best trainer you can be over there."

"I will. I have a feeling this will be a great adventure." With a smile, I hug him tight and slowly begin to walk away.

"Don't forget to call!"

I laugh, and throw him a wave. "Quit worrying so much. Love you!"

Wake simply laughs and watches as I carefully board the ship. I remain standing near the railing, shouting out my goodbyes and don't worries to Wake, until the ship roars to life and begins to slowly peel out of the dock. With a final wave, I turn and walk to the front of the ship, letting Delta out of her Pokeball. The turtle instantly shimmies over to the rails and peers over the edge.

"If you want to go for a swim, I'm sure it would be alright. Just stay close to the ship," I say, crouching down and placing a hand on the Pokemons back. She looks at me happily.

_'I would love that.'_

And within a few moments, Delta leaped into the crystal clear water below, swimming along the surface beside the boat. I laugh and stand up, leaning over the edge, enjoying the spray from the ocean. The trip would be long, but it would be good for some training. I had already noticed some Pokemon in the water aside from Delta, so we could do some training with them.

About three hours had passed, and Delta was laying on the deck sleeping in the sunlight, while I was eating a cheese and lettuce sandwich with Daniel.

"So, are ya and yer Pokemon planning anything special in Unova?" Daniel asks, sipping on some coffee.

With a smile, I set my sandwich down and lean back in the chair, examining all the buttons and controls for the ship. "Well, just exploring and trying to become the champion. Those are my current goals, but they may change at some point."

Daniel nods and wipes the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. "Lass, I've seen you battle, you'll do great." He grins a toothy grin, and sighs contentedly. "And ya know my route now, so if you ever want to come back, you can."

I smiled at that. It was nice to know that I would be able to freely travel between regions, but I doubted I would do that too often. Wouldn't want to exhaust poor ol' Daniel here.

"Thanks Daniel, that means the worldto me," I respond finally, before biting into my sandwich. I quickly finish it off, and say good bye to him. After walking into the small kitchen, I begin to whip up something for Delta. She informed me that she liked spicy foods, so I tried my best.

When I reached the deck, Delta was laying on her shell, just absorbing the sunlight. With a chuckle from myself, I walk over and sit down beside her, putting the plate down.

"Eat up Delta. We might do some training in a bit," I say, laying back on my elbows, watching the clouds. I heard her flip herself upright and begin to munch on the Pokemon food.

_'Training, hmm. That sounds like a good idea.'_ She pauses. _'Also, this is delicious.'_

I laugh and look at her, wiping a few crumbs from her face. "Thanks, I try my best. Though, before we begin, can you tell me your moves? I don't want to call out things you don't even have."

Delta nods and continues to eat, as I watch some bird pokemon in the distance, flying through the clouds. It was really peaceful on the ship. The salty oceanic air was thick, and the water sent sprays high into the air, causing them to shine like little gems in the sunlight. It was gorgeous.

We waited another hour until beginning to train. Delta had informed me of her current moves, and she had just finished demonstrating them for me, so I could get an idea as to what kind of power she had.

"Bite, Aqua Jet, Protect and Water Pulse," I mutter, nodding. This could work nicely. Delta jumped under the railing and into the water.

Soon, she had the attention of a few Barboach, also itching to battle.

"Alright, start off with bite," I yell out.

Delta nods and dives under the blue water, doing a sharp turn and swimming up underneath the Barboach, effectively hitting the Pokemon from the underside. The barboach decided to used a water type move against her, but she easily swam out of the way.

"Once more!"

She stops swimming and bolts forward, but instead of diving under like she did previously, she jumped from the water and came crashed down on the Barboach, biting down.

Soon, the small group of Barboach were all defeating, and retreated back into the depths of the ocean. Delta looks up at me from the water.

_'That was fun. It's nice to be able to move around freely in the water.'_

I smile and nod. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself Delta. We'll train for a bit longer."

We ended up training for a few hours, Delta occasionally dousing me with water. She ended up learning Ancient Power, which replaced Aqua Jet. We were both happy with that.

So now, we were just sitting in the small room below the deck, lying on the bed together. It was nice to have somebody, well, something with me. It really was.

The rest of the day had passed fairly quickly, and soon the morning was here. I awoke and slowly lumbered out of bed, having a long shower.

I was brushing through my teal-blue hair when Delta finally awoke. She bid me good morning, before going to the deck for an early morning swim. I merely laughed and continued to brush through my damp hair, getting dressed for the day.

After clasping the belt that Wake had given me, I walked up the stairs to the control room, where Daniel was sitting, drinking coffee.

"Good morning lass," Daniel says, nodding as I take a seat beside him. He passes me a canister of coffee, watching me pour it into a Styrofoam cup.

We sit in silence, both sipping on our coffee. It was still quite early, the sun barely above the horizon. The sky was clear and lined with different hues of oranges, purples and blues. The day would probably continue to be as perfect.

"We're almost there, the trip didn't take as long as I expected," Daniel speaks finally. "Normally I'd be travelin' in stormy weather, which would take the full two days journey."

Excitement bubbled up inside me, as I nod enthusiastically. "So when will we be hitting Unova?" I ask, looking out the window.

"Ay, we're already in the region. Land shouldn't be too far ahead; maybe in an hour or so, ya can see land."

As if I was a kid in a candy store, I quickly hug Daniel and bolt to the deck, running to the front to stare out into the ocean, hoping to catch sight of Unova. I was concentrating fairly hard, and it wasn't until Delta sprayed me with water, did I break focus and look down.

_'The Pokemon here are familiar, we must be close.'_

With an excited nod, I watch as Delta propels herself up onto the deck with a strong shot of water, landing near my feet. After wiping the water off my face, I look down at the turtle.

"We should be arriving within the hour, so let's go and grab some breakfast," I say. Delta nods and slinks over to the spot she was sunbathing in the day before.

Smiling happily, I bound to the kitchen and grab some cereal, and some left over Pokemon food for Delta. After preparing some toast for Daniel, and delivering it to him, I return on the deck and set the plate down beside Delta. Plopping myself down as well, I lean against the wall and stare off into the ocean again, eating my food slowly.

We relaxed for about forty minutes, when the first sight of land appeared. I jumped up and ran to the railing, grinning like an idiot. We were almost there, our adventure would truly begin then.

It was so close.

So close.


End file.
